Nissan, Daimler plan solar power projects

The TN govt has announced its new Solar Energy Policy, which envisages generation of around 3,000 Mw of solar power within 2015

Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt Ltd have said they planned to use solar energy to power some of their requirements in future.

This comes on the back of the state government’s new Solar Energy Policy, which it announced on October 21 envisaging generation of around 3,000 Mw of solar power within 2015 in the state.

“We are going for solar energy model to power our main office,” said Biju Balendran, vice president, plant engineering, Nissan.

He said the company was into various activities to reduce usage of water, and emission of carbon dioxide as part of its efforts to save the environment.

Balendran was delivering his keynote address during the launch of Auto Sustain, a public-private partnership project to be implemented by management system certification firm UL DQS.

Daimler India too was looking at setting up a solar power generation system to meet some of its energy requirements, said Florian Laudan, its spokesman.

The company would have a solar power facility in an upcoming warehousing and logistics facility in Chennai. However, he refused to comment more on the plans.

Daimler, in India, has been following a policy of maintaining 85 per cent localisation for its products for the market. It is also expected to launch light duty trucks in nine and 12-tonne rigid and 12-tonne construction segments by 2012.

Both the companies have their manufacturing plants at Oragadam, on the outskirts of Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu Solar Energy Policy 2012 envisages generation of 1,000 Mw solar power each year from 2013 to 2015 and setting up of solar energy parks along with incentives for solar power producers and equipment manufacturers.

The state would mandate six per cent solar purchase obligation (SPO), starting with three per cent up to December, 2013, and 6 per cent from January 2014, for high-tension consumers in special economic zones, information technology parks, telecom towers, colleges and residential schools and industries guaranteed with round-the-clock power supply.